Breathless
by pandorabox82
Summary: Connie has invited Elle out for a night of drinks. But the end result leaves them both breathless


Elle didn't know how things had gone from civility with Connie to this moment that she found herself in, but a rather large part of her didn't really care about the hows and whys. All she cared about was seeing where this current situation would leave her. Still, it was difficult to tell Connie no, especially when she had an endgame in mind. Even though she refused to tell Elle what was going on. All she had said was to meet her at her home and to be prepared for a stimulating evening.

She tugged at the legs of her trousers, looking around the room. It was nicer than her apartment, that much was certain, and she felt decidedly out of place, even though they were near equals in terms of talent and medical acumen. She recognized, however, that she was out of her depth in this house, that she didn't really fit here. She should have known that Connie had the expectation of the finer things in life from their night together, but the realization of that expectation was something completely different to what she had assumed would be her reaction.

"I'm almost ready."

Connie's voice caught her attention, and she instinctively looked towards the door, expecting her to already be there. "All right," she warbled back, reaching out to pick up her teacup and sipping from it, needing something to do with her hands while she waited before she picked holes in her trousers. A noise just outside the room had her head turning to see if she had finally appeared, and Elle felt the breath sucked from her body as Connie joined her, still in her stilettos, though her outfit had changed a little. Skin tight leather trousers and loose blouse caused Elle to feel decidedly, deliciously, uncomfortable and she shifted in her seat as she raked her eyes up to meet Connie's gaze, trying to ignore the wicked smirk on her lips. "I feel out of place here."

"I should have told you that we were heading out to the bar, I know, but you didn't really give me a chance to explain before you agreed and left. Maybe you should answer your calls."

Elle blushed as she looked down into her lap, desperately trying to push down the feelings of desire that were swirling in her stomach. "Maybe I should," she murmured as she got to her feet, taking out her phone to see that Connie had indeed called her a few times. "So, where are we going?"

"You wanted to see me with my hair down, now is your opportunity. After all, this is what friend's do, isn't it?"

She knew when she was being teased, and Elle blushed a little deeper as she nodded, following Connie out to the kitchen. "You still didn't say where we're going."

"To a bar near here. I hope you're ready to drink the night away."

"I suppose that I'll have to be." Connie smirked at her before jerking her head towards the door. "We're walking?"

"No, I called a taxi for us about eight minutes ago, and they just texted me that they're here. Come along." Elle nodded and followed after Connie, her head still reeling from the miasma of emotions that were there. As Connie spoke with their driver, Elle climbed in the back of the vehicle, trying to control the wholly inappropriate thoughts running through her head for her friend and colleague. "All right, let's head out."

Connie slid in next to her, sitting much closer than necessary as the driver headed off for their destination, and Elle tried to focus on something other then the warmth that bled into her skin from Connie's body, or the way her spicy perfume tickled her nose. "So, you own leather trousers," she said, and then immediately kicked herself for saying something so stupid.

"They came in handy when I rode a motorcycle. Since my health scare, I haven't ridden much, but the trousers still fit quite nicely, don't you think?"

Elle didn't know if Connie was deliberately trying to provoke her, so she made a small, noncommittal, sound in the back of her throat before looking out the window at the passing scenery. She jumped a little at the feel of Connie's hand on her knee, and she glanced over at the woman, barely catching the smirk that dashed across her lips before she noticed Elle's eyes on her. "Yes?"

"We're here."

"Oh." Elle shook her head a little as she clambered from the car, following Connie into the noisy bar. "Do you want me to get the first round?"

"No, I'll get us something. Find us a table."

Elle nodded and made her way through the throng of people, heading for a small table in the corner of the bar and taking a seat. Playing with her phone, she tried to think about why Connie had invited her out in the first place. They had been slowly building a friendship, but not to the point where she had expected an invite for a night out. A glass of wine was set down in front of her, and she glanced up at Connie, giving her a small smile as she took a seat across from her. "That didn't take you long."

"I have an in with the bartender," Connie replied as she stretched, causing the fabric of her blouse to pull taut across her body. Elle swallowed the gasp in her throat as she noticed that the other woman was definitely wearing a corset beneath her blouse, and she hurriedly picked up her glass and took a large sip of wine, trying to think of anything other than the way Connie's bare breasts had looked as they pushed against the fabric, or the outline of the underbust corset she was wearing. "There's nothing more refreshing than spending time with a colleague. Wouldn't you agree?"

"It depends on why someone wants to spend time with a colleague. I mean, are they doing it for professional gain or to build a friendship that can help them in the workforce?"

She was surprised to see Connie blush a little herself as she looked down into her gin and tonic. "Can't it be both?"

There was something very vulnerable about the way she said those words, and Elle smiled tenderly as she reached across the table and touched Connie's wrist. Her colleague looked at her suddenly, and couldn't quite mask the naked openness in her gaze. "I suppose, if that's what they want. You just have to be careful about how you treat that balance between public and private. I know that, for me, I like being able to be butt heads with my colleagues in the workplace, but being able to meet like this outside of work. Just because it's tense at work, doesn't mean it has to be like that here."  
A flash of a smile slipped across Connie's lips as she nodded. "Perhaps someone might want to take down the intensity with someone while at work. Because they're finding that they can trust this person. What then?"

"I think that they need to tread carefully, depending on how they've been treated in the past. There are few people who truly understand how a brusque nature in the heat of the moment might not accurately reflect who they truly are." She wrapped her fingers around Connie's wrist and squeezed gently before drawing her hand back and taking hold of her glass, taking a small sip as she continued to look steadily at Connie. "The people who truly matter already understand the difference."

Connie's face lit up with a genuine smile, and Elle felt her breath sucked away at the sight. "That's good to hear." And before Elle could brace herself, the woman was reaching across the table and taking hold of her hand, squeezing tightly. "I'm glad that we're talking like this."

The frisson of energy that arced between them filled her senses, and Elle could only nod dumbly as she fought not to pull her hand away and try to shake off the excess energy. "I am, too," she finally replied hoarsely, letting out a soft breath of relief when Connie let go of her to lean back in her chair and swirl her drink around in her glass.

Elle forgot to keep track of how many drinks they had consumed by the third one, though she was pleasantly tipsy by the time Connie crooked her finger at her, beckoning her to follow her. Elle nodded and traipsed after her, wondering what she wanted now. As soon as the cold night air touched her skin, Connie was taking hold of her hand and dragging her around the corner of the building, none too carefully shoving Elle against the cold brick and leaning in to look into her eyes. "I've been trying to work up the courage to do this for weeks, ever since we were stuck in that godawful hotel."

And before she could say anything, Connie was closing the small distance between them and giving her a delicate, almost shy, kiss. That was the last thing Elle had expected, after a speech like that, and she smiled before taking the initiative, deepening the kiss as she cupped Connie's head with one hand. A more possessive smirk curved her lips when she felt Connie lift one of her legs, possessively wrapping it around her hip as they continued to make out.

"Perhaps this isn't the best place to do this," she stammered as she leaned her head back against the wall, taking a look at Connie's kiss swollen lips. "It's a little public."

"Come back to mine?"

A part of Elle knew that there would be hell to pay in the morning, but dragging her eyes up to meet Connie's, she knew that there was only one answer to give. "Yes." The smirk on Connie's lips told her that she had made the right decision, even if she didn't know how things would play out.

"I'll get us a cab," Connie breathed in her ear before stepping away and heading to the front of the building once more. Elle tripped along after her, her legs feeling somewhat weak. Connie glanced back over her shoulder and she nodded to her as they reached the pavement outside the bar. The woman took hold of her hand and dragged her over to an unhired cab, pushing Elle into the back before sliding in next to her, again sitting a little closer than absolutely necessary. She found she didn't mind the contact, however, since it told her that Connie was okay with this. That was the only way she would have ever allowed this situation to get this far.

The drive back to Connie's didn't take long, and then she was being tugged out of the car and following after Connie as they entered the home. "Connie…" she started, shaking her wrist a little to try and free it from her grasp, but that only had her holding on all the tighter. "You're hurting me."

"Oh!" Instantly, she was let go, and Elle pulled her arm close to her chest and rubbed it, smiling gently at Connie as she closed the distance between them. "I didn't mean…are you all right?"

"Yeah, you didn't leave any bruises." Feeling a little emboldened, she reached up and cupped Connie's face, looking into her eyes. "It's your biting tongue that I have to worry about more than your touch." The other woman blinked rapidly as Elle leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss. "I've never done anything like this before."

"What? Kissed your boss?" Connie asked, trying to sound imperious, but failing.

Elle shook her head. "No. I've never kissed a woman before." Her face began to shutter off from Elle, and she stroked Connie's cheekbone with her thumb as she shook her head. "No, it's not a bad thing, just a new thing. And are you wearing a corset? For me?"

That seemed to relieve Connie a little as she shrugged. "Not necessarily for you. I wear one when I need to feel more empowered. Here, let me show you." Connie took a few steps back and began to hurriedly unbutton her blouse, shrugging out of it in record time. Elle felt something in her brain shut off as she looked at Connie's torso, trying desperately not to look at her breasts, instead trying to focus on the fabric of the corset, taking in the intricate embroidery that covered it, adding a little color to the cream silk that almost matched Connie's skin tone. Elle had known that the woman was slim, but the way the corset nipped in her waist, making her seem even smaller.

"You're beautiful," she breathed out, only realizing that she had used the wrong word when Connie chuckled a little. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. You're beautiful, too."

Elle nodded dumbly as she allowed her eyes to travel down Connie's legs, trying to take in the full picture of what Connie was wearing. The tight leather trousers, the booties, everything added up to a picture of wantonness that filled the pit of Elle's stomach with desires she had never thought to acknowledge in herself, and she unknowingly stepped forward into Connie's space, reaching out to run her fingers up and down her arm as she tilted her head to one side. "I don't want to be shallow, but…"

"This is why you were asked here tonight. To be completely shallow. To see if the sparks in surgery result in different sparks out here." Connie pushed Elle's jacket off her shoulders, and she let it fall to the floor, seemingly rooted to the spot. It didn't take long for Connie to divest her of her own blouse, letting it join the other garments on the floor. "Do things still spark for you?" she said lowly, her voice husky in Elle's ear, making her shiver as she felt Connie's limber fingers unclip her bra.

"I think you know that the sparks are still there," she murmured before bending her head a little and kissing Connie fiercely. "But why don't we take this somewhere different? Neither of us is up for couch sex."

"Too right," she replied as she stepped away from Elle and made her way over towards a staircase. After taking a few steps, she turned, rubbing her scar absently as she looked at Elle. "Are you coming?" Elle nodded as she swallowed thickly, following after Connie. She found herself unable to tear her eyes away from Connie's bum and the way her hips moved as she climbed the stairs. Connie stopped in front of a closed door, and Elle stopped short as well, trying not to run into her, though she did weave on her feet a little. "Last chance."

"You've left me breathless, Connie. I don't think I could turn back now."

"I should be the breathless one, you know." Elle shrugged a little and clasped Connie's outstretched hand, following her across the threshold into her room, ready for the night that would change the dynamic between them forever.


End file.
